Strategic management is a business concept that consists of decision-making, analysis and actions an entity undertakes with an aim of creating and maintaining an upper hand. This concept involves three processes; analysis, decisions and actions. It involves the analysis of strategies and the internal or external environments of the entity. After the analysis, strategic decisions are made, covering local and international operations. Using of strategies requires proper allocation of the important assets.
REPORT COVER SHEET
Surname: Cadena Alvarado
Given name: Mario Alejandro
Class: Logistics and Supply Chain Management
Lecturer: Min Qiu
Word count:
Tittle: Report Amazon Case Study
Due date 16th of May 2014
DECLARATION
I am aware of university policy on Academic conduct (published on Moodle) and I declare that this assignment is my own work entirely and that suitable acknowledgement has been made for any sources of information used in preparing it. I have retained a hard copy for my records.
Table of Contents
Report Amazon Case Study
Executive Summary ……………………
Amazon began in 1995, founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994 in Seattle, Washington. Starting out in book sales over the internet, they sold their first book, “Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies: Computer Models of the Fundamental Mechanisms of Thought, by Douglas Hofstadter”, in July of 1995. Since then, Amazon has expanded their sales beyond books to other various products, growing into one of the world’s top e-commerce businesses.
Team,
As some of you may know, Amazon has recently become a client of Deloitte. Amazon is a company that sells merchandise, produce and other goods through Amazon.com. They have also expanded into the same day delivery industry through its new venture, Amazon Prime. Recently, Amazon has been looking to focus more on growing its business outside of the United States.
Is Amazon a bubble waiting to burst? The following discussions in this research paper will explore several key issues from its birth to its debatable future. Amazon is not a stranger to arguments revolving around questions of its longevity and success. When the systemic bubble of 1999 arrived Amazon’s corporate goal was to get big, to do it fast, and to establish a hold of new markets before any other competitor. During this time frame Amazon began branching out and selling anything and everything. With the burst of the internet bubble in 2000 and 2001, Amazon changed its goal from growth to aggressively making profits in all areas of their business. In 2001, Amazon’s founder and CEO stated in a Wall Street Journal article “We’ll ferociously manage the products we carry so that we sell only products that are profitable. The thirty-pound box of nails isn’t long for our world” (Elmer-DeWitt, 2001).
Amazon is one of the largest brands in the world, reporting $23.18 billion in sales last quarter. They operate with a customer-first mentality. This is clear in their mission statement, which is as follows: “We seek to be Earth’s most customer-centric company for four primary customer sets: consumers, sellers, enterprises, and content creators (Amazon).” Amazon’s CEO, Jeff Bezos seeks to bring the highest quality products and most efficient services to their customers. According to critics of Amazon, Bezos’ goals have lent themselves to a
Company Value Chain
One of Amazon’s main focuses is to create value for it’s customers. To do this, their number one strategy is to exceeding customer’s expectations. Amazon does a lot of little things very well. These little things are often overlooked by other retailers and, as a result, create customer loyalty for Amazon.
Amazon does a lot of things very well, such as personalized emails, self-service support, and easy and smart usability.
The biggest success has been that Amazon.com has become a platform that other businesses can benefit from. Making Amazon.com a general platform for e-commerce operation has been made possible through their advanced technology investments and it has become a major success. Making Amazon.com available through a Web services interface to any developer in the world free of charge has also been a major success because it has driven so much innovation that...
Amazon has a few downsides, but the company's relentless focus on the customer has built a strong moat around its business. Amazon doesn't make much in profits, but the durable competitive advantages of its business lines are enormous and growing rapidly. Amazon has a very favorable image in the minds of millions of consumers, which paints a very pretty picture for the company's fortunes in the long term. (Faruk, 2013)
Amazon.com operates in the Online Retail Industry. The sector is one of the fastest growing globally and is outperforming the ordinary retail marketplace. It was created after 1995 and it was only the Internet that made it possible for such an industry not only to be established but to become one of the most flourishing sectors in the business environment. What is interesting is that Amazon.com, together with eBay is the pioneer in the field. Both companies were launched in 1995 and are still extremely successful. The creation of e-mail in 1996 had a huge impact on the development of online retail by introducing a fast and easy way to communicate with customers. For this two-year period Internet usage doubled annually, thus, allowing for the expansion of the industry. Google is launched a year later, in 1998, only to become the most used search engine in the world and an essential partner for the online retailers by helping them tailor their websites to customer’s personal preferences and by advertising. After that, more and more people see the opportunity in the growing industry and enter it. By 2001 there are more than 513 million Internet users globally, which calls for action in terms of creating regulations and laws to protect the users and personal property. In 2003, Apple launches iTunes, and provides a platform for low-cost digital downloads. Another major change is the appearance of social media from 2004, which is one of the biggest influencer on the state of the industry. With the launch of iPhone in 2007, this trend strengthens as people get to enjoy the Internet anywhere they want to. From then on, technological advancements have made it extremely easy and fun to shop online, making it ...